When we could smirk our smirk with impunity.
But then the real world happened. Again.
Germany Should Have Listened to Trump – He was right about Berlin’s self-defense and risky energy dependence on Russia.
The lower house of Germany’s Parliament voted to legalize the recreational use of cannabis last week. It was a timely move. Germany’s leadership class is going to need all the mellow it can find in a world that isn’t going Germany’s way.
That’s all we’ve ever been. It’s never been about film.
But we’re not just Crappy-Movies-R-Us anymore. Now we’re openly anti-Israeli. Wait. We’ve always been openly anti-Israel. But now we’re openly openly anti-Israeli.
Germany launches probe over Berlin film festival anti-Israel row – German officials will investigate how Berlin film festival winners were able to make “one-sided” comments condemning Israel’s war in Gaza at the event’s finale, a government spokeswoman says.
At Saturday’s awards ceremony, several winners were accused of making biased remarks on stage in relation to Israel’s war against Hamas, which began after the October 7 assault by the terror group that killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw 253 taken hostage.
US filmmaker Ben Russell, wearing a Palestinian scarf, accused Israel of committing “genocide.”
Europe’s largest emitter of CO2 wants to start burying it in the ocean.
Do you have any idea how much dirt that would take?
OK, they want to bury it in sub-seabed storage. But still.
Germany to allow carbon capture, underwater storage – German Economy Minister Robert Habeck says Berlin will need to allow sub-seabed storage of CO2 produced in certain industries in order to reach its goal to be carbon neutral by 2045.
Or Adel verpflichtet in German. You know, the idea that people with a high social class should do things for other people? Like take off their clothes.
German princess strips down for Playboy – Xenia Florence Gabriela Sophie Iris, the Princess of Saxony, is the first aristocrat to pose for Playboy. She is the cover girl for Playboy Germany’s March 2024 issue.
“It’s the first and last time I get naked.”
I’ll see you down at the cannabis club.
Germany’s Parliament to Debate and Vote on Liberalizing Cannabis Rules – German lawmakers are expected to vote on a government plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, which would decriminalize limited amounts of marijuana and allow members of “cannabis clubs” to buy it for recreational purposes.
Just say no. When not in doubt, sowieso (anyhow).
“Expansion” is a scary word. It sounds too much like growth, increase, prosperity, success. We vote no! Because you can never know, unless it’s no.
Tesla in Germany: Locals vote against factory expansion plan – Residents of Grünheide near Berlin have voted against expansion plans for the large Tesla facility there. But the vote is not binding and local authorities can still decide. Turnout was high, though, indicating interest.
A fourth straight quarter of zero or negative growth.
Germany likely in recession, Bundesbank says – Germany is likely in recession now as external demand is weak, consumers remain cautious and domestic investment is held back by high borrowing costs, the Bundesbank said in a regular monthly report on Monday about Europe’s biggest economy.
Germany has struggled since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine pushed up energy costs, and its vast, industry-heavy economy is now in its fourth straight quarter of zero or negative growth, weighing on all of the euro zone.
What do expect from a coalition government of three consisting of Green utopians, spendthrift social democratic regulation freaks and free-market capitalists (true liberals, in other words)?
This is how Germans vote. Remember: “Every country has the government it deserves.” Just look at the Banana Republic itself, if you don’t believe me.
EU partners lose trust in Berlin after policy U-turns – Lawmakers and diplomats in Brussels express frustration at Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s unpredictable coalition.
For years Germany was seen as a rock of stability and predictability in the EU. These days, its partners wonder what curveball Berlin will throw at them next.
Last week the German government sent shockwaves through Brussels by withdrawing its support for a piece of legislation that it had long appeared to back: the EU’s new supply chain law.
It’s achievements like these that will silence the critics.
Germans beat record beer drinking session – More than 40 Germans from a gun club have smashed a drinking record in the island of Mallorca this week.
The group downed 1,330 2ooml glases of beer in a bar in Playa de Palma, meaning more than 10 pints were sunk per person on the group, or 5.8 litres of beer.
This epic session of drinking took 8 hours with the challenge beginning at around 11am and finishing at 7pm last Saturday.
That means, more or less: “Well, what do you know? It’s possible after all.”
Germany hits 2% NATO spending target for first time since end of Cold War – Germany has met a NATO alliance target to spend 2% of its gross domestic product on defence for the first time since the early 1990s, a defence ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, as spending ramped up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The German government is allocating the equivalent of 71.8 billion euros ($76.8 billion) for defence spending in the current year through regular and special budget outlays. However, the sum of its total defence spending is classified.
Observing Hermann 